Classic Encyclicals & Other Papal Documents

A Quo Die

Descr.:

On Unity Among Christians

Pope:

Pope Clement XIII

Date:

September 13, 1758

Venerable
Brothers, Greetings and Apostolic Blessing.

1.
Since that day when the unbelievable and unexpected happened, when
God took Our unworthiness and placed it in the Holy See of St.
Peter, the summit of all the churches, We have been troubled by a
bitter and constant concern. A much heavier burden of sorrow has
been placed on Us than We are able to bear. We would certainly
have given Ourselves over to weeping if something had not deterred
Us from this excessive sadness - something similar to what
happened to the most holy prophet, the dynamic leader of Israel.
Moses exclaimed to the Lord: "Why do you treat your servant
so badly? And why have you placed the weight of all this people on
me? I am not able to carry this nation by myself; the weight is
too much for me".(1) In order that Moses might not fail in
spirit and that he might bear the burden he had assumed, God
commanded him to gather seventy men from the elders of Israel. He
granted the spirit of Moses to them so that they could be teachers
of the people and share the burden with Moses. That same
consolation alone sustains Us now, Venerable Brothers. God himself
chose you much sooner from among the multitude of the faithful to
care for souls. He gave you to Us as Our helpers and assistants.
When you were ordained to the episcopacy, He abundantly filled you
with His own spirit so that We might be confident in the aid and
excellence of God and supported by your singular wisdom. You are
on fire to fulfill your duties, and We conclude that much of Our
sorrow and concern has been removed. Therefore, in order to find
encouragement in our mutual faith (2) and to arouse your sincere
mind to remembrance, (3) We write this letter to you. We know that
you are ardent and upright against the foul enemy of the human
race and have organized yourselves as in a battle line.
Nevertheless We exhort you to meet the enemy more quickly and
courageously, to wage the war well. Standing in battle, may you
fight for the house of Israel.(4)

2.
In so many and such dangerous battles, the hope of victory is that
much better and that much more certain if we preserve unity in the
close bond of peace.(5) Therefore, Venerable Brothers, may your
love in all its strength remove from the hearts of the faithful
the seeds of any kind of dissension. It is your responsibility
that everybody seeks peace, (6) that everybody searches for the
elements of peace.(7) The Lord Jesus, a short time before He gave
himself up to die, said to His apostles, "Peace I give you;
my own peace I give you".(8) He does not leave the
inheritance of peace only to the apostles, but also to us. He says
"Not only for these but for those also who through their
words will believe in me. May they all be one, Father, may they be
one in us as you are in me and I am in you".(9) Venerable
Brothers, see to it that by eliminating spiritual dissensions, we
constantly and continually preserve so great and so precious an
inheritance which the Lord Jesus transmitted to us. The apostle
says that the Holy Spirit is a pledge of this inheritance. When we
place ourselves before Him and beseech Him to make holy the
[Eucharistic] Sacrifice of the Church, we ask nothing more than that the bond of
love be preserved unbroken in the Church by spiritual grace. It is
good for us all to remember that when the Lord asked "who do
men say the Son of Man is" and whom the disciples believed He
was, they answered that there were various opinions about Him. But
St. Peter confessed that He was the son of the living God, not
revealed by flesh and blood but by the Father.(10)

3.
From this, you can easily see that there is a difference between
the sons of light and the sons of the world. The latter disagree
among themselves with various and diverse opinions, while the
former, initiated into the mysteries of unity, profess the one
faith of all by the mouth of one, through the head of all.
Therefore, concentrate all your attention on increasing peace
among the faithful. Uproars, contentions, rivalries, animosities,
and dissensions should be silenced.(11) In this way those who go
by the name of Catholic can all be perfect in the same sense, in
the same opinion, (12) saying the same thing together, (13)
knowing the same thing and understanding it thoroughly. They
should understand that if they want to be members of Christ, they
cannot have concord with the head if they want to be in
disagreement with the members. Nor can those who have not lived in
fraternal love be counted as brothers by the Almighty Father.

4.
The apostle shows us remarkable signs of love and reliable
pointers, so that nobody strays in a matter which contains the
salvation of the human race. He says: "Love is patient and
kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it
is never rude or selfish; it does not take offense and is not
resentful".(14) From this, we should clearly understand that
where love is absent, there reigns that malice which we men have
brought about from the beginning of the human race. Arrogance and
proud contempt, stubbornness and avarice, intolerance and
ambition, envy and the inordinate desire for glory - these and
other depravities of the spirit flare up from this like the
torches of our soul. All of these things are produced by the
corruption of lust in the world.(15)

5.
Let swelling of the spirit and stubborn customs depart from
episcopal government. We who say we dwell in Christ should walk
just as He walked.(16) We should not seek an example anywhere else
than from the Lord Jesus, whom we should imitate. For when the
disagreement among the disciples arose about who should be
reckoned the greatest, He said: "Among pagans it is the kings
who lord it over them. This must not happen with you. No; the
greatest among you must behave as the least; the leader as if he
were the one who serves. Here I am among you as one who
serves".(17) Therefore, just as the Lord Jesus Christ forbade
the apostles to rule, we believe that we have come not to rule the
Church but to serve it. May we concentrate all our thoughts,
labors, and counsels to that purpose, so that we might preserve
safe and sound in the Church those sheep entrusted to us by the
Lord. We should desire nothing more than their welfare.

6.
Therefore, elders, We speak to you in the words of the prince of
the apostles: "I am an elder myself and a witness to the
sufferings of Christ, and with you I have a share in the glory
that is to be revealed. Be shepherds of the flock of
God".(18) Watch over the sheep, not like the hired hand who
sees the wolf coming, abandons them, and runs away, (19) but
gladly, because God wants it.(20) Be like the shepherd who gives
his life for his sheep, (21) not for sordid money but freely.(22)
Do not lord over the clergy, but become examples for the flock.
There is no more offensive or dangerous poison than the desire to
rule. If a bishop is corrupted by this, it is inevitable that the
church entrusted to him will be shaken, if not destroyed.
Therefore, a bishop should not want to be powerful, but rather to
be useful. Having made himself an example for the flock, he should
like a torch radiate blameless conduct, moral integrity, piety,
and religion. When the people see this, they will walk happily and
quickly in the way of the Lord, for they will see that they have
been given a leader and not a master.

7.
It is especially characteristic of love to be lifted up with joy
when someone in the Church of God flourishes in piety and
learning, someone who longs to save souls and fulfills his
priestly duty with industry, labor and diligence. We have often
thought that such a man is exposed to the envy of his
neighbor.(23). Every sane man sees that he is being destroyed by
the disparagement of the envious, and it is not fitting that this
happen. When Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the camp, (24)
Joshua, son of Nun, warned Moses that he should prohibit them.
Moses responded that he very much wanted everybody to prophesy. He
said: "are you jealous on my account? If only the whole
people would prophesy and the Lord gave his Spirit to them
all!"(25) The love of the bishop considers it a crime to burn
with anger. It does not consider the man led astray by harmful
desires as an enemy but rather lays hold of him as a brother,
coaxing him, encouraging him, and warning him.(26) It calls him
back from error and leads him back to the path of righteousness.
If something should happen which requires a more serious verbal
castigation, beware lest the words cut too harshly. Let severity
abstain from every affront.

8.
We cannot be silent concerning the useless desire for glory which
a certain bishop correctly called hidden destruction. Once it has
shown itself, there is perhaps nothing more hostile to love.
Servility creeps up on whatever bishop this deadly plague gets
hold of and infects; it attacks his most noble part, the soul. It
captures him with its poisonous flatteries and constantly besieges
him. It drives the wretch to the point that he no longer seeks the
glory of God but only his own, increasing enormously that
distorted and excessive self-esteem by which each of us is greatly
deceived. Even the Lord Jesus denied that He sought this.(27)
Detraction and lying follow flattery as destructive attendants and
ministers, so that nothing is left safe and sound for the eminent
and virtuous men in the company of the bishop. For this reason,
Solomon in his wisdom warns that it is better to be seized by
wisdom than deceived by the flattery of fools.(25) He also says:
"Turn your back on the mouth that misleads; keep your
distance from lips that deceive".(29) Bishops should always
keep this in mind: "When a ruler listens to false reports,
all his ministers will be scoundrels".(30) We must stop being
envious of glory.(31) Thus, glory will be the downfall of those
who think earthly things are important.(32) Let us look higher -
let us look upon that heavenly home of eternal glory. Let us not
think that our true, solid, and serious glory comes from the lips
of men.(33) We have all sinned, and we all need the glory of God.
Having died to our sins, (34) we should not glory in ourselves.
The Father should be glorified in the Son, (35) so that we might
be filled with the fruit of justice through Jesus Christ for the
glory of God, (36) to whom alone belong all glory, majesty,
authority, and power.(37)

9.
Among the fruits of justice, mercy to the poor should certainly be
considered the most important. That justice which comes from faith
belongs to Jesus Christ.(38) It is true that "if one of the
brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not
enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, 'I wish you
well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty' without giving them these
bare necessities of life, then what good is that?"(39) Thus,
the apostle James questions all Christians. Every faithful person,
especially everyone who is a little more wealthy than the others,
should out of mercy come to the assistance of the poor. They
require our generosity as their principal right, for we hold the
goods of the Church, which are the prayers of the faithful, the
price of sins, and the inheritance of the poor, not as our own but
as if in trust. It is not justifiable to use it for ourselves in
such a way that nothing remains for those who could rightfully cry
out, "What you spend is ours!" Where does such a great
abundance of things come to us from, if not from the gifts of the
Church? Like a bride, we should be content (40) with the good
things we receive, that is, food and shelter, (41) considering
piety with sufficiency as a great profit. It is certainly a
special gift when it replenishes more abundantly those things
which we need to protect, nourish, and embellish the bride. It is
certainly everybody's great gain, because we obtain grace from God
by almsgiving. Our blind mind is illuminated by it and we who are
broken and fallen with a natural weakness are raised up and
supported. When we pour forth our souls in desire and replenish
our afflicted spirit, our light will rise in the darkness and our
shadows will become like noon, for the Lord will fill our souls
with his splendors.(42)

10.
Actually to obtain light for the mind from God and to obtain the
grace and devotion without which the episcopal duties would
languish, almsgiving has great power. But it is no more
efficacious than prayer and the most holy sacrifice of the Mass.
The apostle orders us to pray without interruption and to give
thanks to God in everything because it is the will of God that we
not extinguish the spirit of faith and love.(43) This spirit helps
us in our weakness and expresses our plea through groans that
could never be put into words.(44) If a certain bishop needs
wisdom, he should ask God for it and God will give it to him.(45)
Let him not hesitate to seek anything in faith. He should ask that
God arouse in his soul as great a faith as Moses had when he saw
the invisible God.(46) It is necessary to have humility to attain
that faith. David cried: "I am poor and needy. God help
me".(47) These words of the Lord show us how great is the
power of perseverance and persistence in prayer: "It is
necessary to pray always without ceasing".(48) In that
constancy and perseverance, let us wait for the majesty of God if
there is a delay: it will appear and will not deceive us because
it comes gradually.(49) We should not be concerned only about our
weaknesses, but we should also consider that the problems of
others afflict us and are on the same level as our own. Our
prayers should be addressed more ardently and more perseveringly
to God. It is through this prayer that we obtain from the Lord, as
a decisive intermediary of the Church's faithful, the faith, hope,
and love of all - virtues which are necessary for each and every one
of us and for all the faithful in the world. The holy sacrifice of
the Eucharist will build the road for us to beseech God and will
open the way to obtain anything we want. For this reason,
entangled in the great preoccupations of our office, we shall not
refuse to offer the holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ frequently
to God. We do not think that we have been given any greater task
than to offer repeatedly this Sacrifice of appeasement to God the
Father for our sins and those of the faithful.

11.
As We are in a certain manner intermediaries between God and
mankind, We offer to God the prayers of the people, and in the
same way We communicate the will of God to them. This is the will
of God: Our sanctification.(50) Thus it is Our duty to proclaim
and reveal the mystery of Christ, (51) just as it is fitting for
Us to speak. It is necessary, first of all to teach this to the
people: The body of Christ was similar to ours, with the exception
of sin...capable of suffering,
exposed to death, and able to stand in the stead of all of us.
Christ offered his body, and us at the same time, to satisfy
divine justice.(52) He handed himself - and us at the same time -
to all the torments which our crimes merited. He was condemned to
the sorrows of death and suffered the curse given to sinners by
the law: death under the harshest tortures. He satisfied the law,
for the death and burial of Jesus Christ abolished all sin. The
Lord Jesus rose from the grave with the same flesh but it was
stripped of its mortality and adorned with glory of eternity. In
order that they may be justified, it is necessary for sinners to
die with Christ, who died in their place and in their name. Then
they must enter the grave with Christ, in order to leave behind
the flesh defiled by sin. They must hand over the old man to the
wrath of God and to the death of the sinner, so that by baptism a
new man might return to life in us and live again with Christ in
immortality and eternal glory. Therefore all Christians should
think about that eternal life and not this brief one. They should
remove from their hearts the desire for pleasures and riches which
are the instruments of pleasure. Cast off pride, in which all
harmful desires are contained. The world is passing away, as well
as what it craves for; however, he who keeps the will of God will
endure forever.(53)

12.
You can easily see, Venerable Brothers, how important it is for
you yourselves to teach the people these and all other things
which pertain to God's mysteries. Therefore, you should carefully
consider that those whom you choose to exercise the priestly
ministry and to teach the people the fundamentals of Christianity
should possess great purity of life, moral integrity, chastity,
justice, piety, and devotion. How serious it would be if something
bad, if something vicious, if something perverse were to infect
their character with bad habits. Cautiously and prudently remove
this danger from the pastors. Help and instruct each of your
neighbors with salutary advice. Give the soul of the faithful
wings with which to fly from the earth to contemplate heavenly
matters; once it is snatched away from the world, give that soul
to God and recall the divine image in it to its original purity.
On the other hand, it should not be said that pastors who ask to
give an account of their lives cannot themselves bear this
scrutiny. Nor should they reproach the character of another, so
that they themselves must be contradicted. The learning which is
perceived as worthy of a clergyman should attain pure and holy
habits. They should have a knowledge of the Scriptures: "All
Scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for
teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people's lives and
teaching them to be holy that the man of God may be complete,
equipped for every good work".(54) They should go to both
testaments of the Bible, to the traditions of the Church, and to
the writings of the holy fathers, as if they were going to springs
from which pours forth a pure and undefiled teaching of faith and
character. They should read often and reflect upon the Roman
Catechism, the summation of Catholic teaching, which provides holy
sermons to give to the faithful.

13.
In considering someone's suitability for the ministry, do not rely
only on individual enthusiasm or on someone's recommendation. You
should consider as best suited to be a faithful minister and to
receive a part of the Lord's flock the man whose timid virtue
shirks the ministry. "Do not be too quick to lay hands on any
man" (55) which happens if we do not consider and test the
men over and over again. Lest we pay the price to God for
imprudent rashness and share in another's sin, (56) let him be
tested carefully and accurately and judged severely. It should not
weary you if We dwell a little longer on this matter which
requires great attention. In whatever manner the priests behave,
the majority of the people will behave in the same way. Everyone
looks upon them - especially if they are parish priests - as if in a
mirror. For this reason, nobody [receives] anything more destructive
from the Church than evil priests, who infect the people with
their vices and so corrupt the Church that they seem to harm it
more by their example than by their sin.

14.
Associate with distinguished men in the sacred ministry...(57) The principal duty of the bishop is to preach the word of
God, for the apostle cried: "Woe to me if I do not preach the
gospel. It is a duty which has been laid on me".(58) The Lord
Jesus Christ did not send him primarily to baptize - even though
this is a holy action - but especially to preach the gospel.(59)
We know that the ministry of the word held first place in the
minds of the apostles and that these holy men did not neglect this
duty.(60) For this reason they thought it fitting to entrust to
deacons the rest of the charitable works toward their neighbors.
St. Paul writes to Timothy: "Make use of the time until I
arrive by reading to the people, preaching, and
teaching".(61) If someone feels that he lacks the ability to
preach or says that his talents do not measure up to the
responsibility, do not allow him to neglect his duty in other
matters which pertain to the word of God. Therefore, if the bishop
commands the priests to teach the basics of Christian doctrine to
the children, he should also give his assistance in that work. He
should join himself as an assistant to the pastors in teaching the
faithful, so that his duty of preaching the word might be
preserved on all sides. This should make everybody hasten to
fulfill his duty. Thus, he should not feel it burdensome to
administer the sacraments to the faithful occasionally with his
brother priests, to enter the choir in the meantime and sing the
psalms with the canons, and to preside over the meetings which he
has convened. From this the priests will receive a great share in
the spirit of his holy ministry, just as the seventy men received
the Spirit in the time of Moses. The people who witness this will
be filled with the greatest esteem for divine worship, and the
tainted men will be frightened away from the sacred ministry by
the same venerable spectacle, so that they will not dare in the
least to aspire to it.

15.
Because the bishop cannot manage the Church and supervise his
flock if he is away, you should not be absent from your churches
for any length of time. This was solemnly ratified by natural law
and by the holy canons, especially by the decrees of the Council
of Trent. The bishop should visit all the places in his diocese to
protect the power of their laws when they begin to fail, either
through the laziness of the ministers or through the stubbornness
of the faithful. If there is a serious and necessary reason for
you to leave your diocese and if it is necessary to be absent for
any length of time, We ask you not to allow the Church to be
weakened by the desire of her pastor. Whenever you are absent,
this danger is present.

16.
In addition, example should accompany words. We should show
ourselves in all things as an example of good works (62) so that
our opponents will respect us and not have anything bad to say
about us.(63) Deeds should not be silent without words, nor should
the lack of deeds shame the words. In addition, we believe in our
heart that the perfect leader of the Church has been furnished
with the perfect goods of the greatest virtue, so that his life
might be adorned by what he says and his teaching by what he
lives. The home of modesty should be our own, as well as the
teacher of modesty. The ecclesiastical discipline which we follow
should be full of dignity and harmony. If we are not committed to
anybody's will and pleasure, we will not indulge in the softness
and weakness of our spirit and we will not single out anyone for
special treatment. This often creates great turmoil in the
administration of the Church and gives serious offense, providing
contempt and envy for the bishop.

17.
As for what concerns Us, We have already taken care that We
establish as bishops in the various countries those who bring to
the episcopacy a sound doctrine, a life beyond reproach, and a
mind prepared for all things for the sake of Jesus Christ. We
believe that the responsibility should go to him who presides over
it; let him not swell up with the greatness of the honor but
diminish in humility. In scrutinizing and testing men whom We want
to place over such a great responsibility, We shall use you as
witnesses and authorities, trusting in the holy devotion of your
testimony and in your faith. We do not doubt in the least that you
will not use any human rationale, but only thoughts for Him who
has called you to the work of the ministry for building up the
body of Christ.(65)

18.
It remains, Venerable Brothers, that We advise you concerning the
fortitude and strength of spirit needed to oppose those things
which are against the orthodox faith, which harm piety or which
damage the integrity of moral living. Let us be strong in the
spirit of the Lord, in good judgment, and in courage.(66) We
should not be like dumb watchdogs unable to bark, (67) [allowing
those in our charge to be overcome by our enemies]. (68) Nor should anything deter us
from throwing ourselves into battle for the glory of God and for
the salvation of souls: "Think of the way he endured such
opposition from sinners".(69) If we are afraid of the
audacity of worthless men, it affects the strength of the
episcopacy and its sublime and divine power to govern the Church.
Nor can we Christians endure or exist any longer - if it has come to
that - if we become overly frightened by the snares or threats of
the damned. Therefore, trusting not in ourselves but in the God
who raises the dead to life, (70) we despise human affairs and cry
out to the Lord: You are my hope in the day of disaster.(71) Let
us never be exhausted in body or in spirit, for we are fellow
workers with God.(72) The Lord Jesus is with us always even to the
end of time.(73) Therefore let us not be weakened by scandal or
persecution, lest we seem ungrateful for God's favor, since his
assistance is as strong as His promises are true.

19.
In the Last Judgment We shall be called to give account on behalf
of everybody and before everybody who is reckoned in the name of
Christ. Therefore We beseech you that if some scandal or
disagreement arises which you are unable to put down, to refer it
to this See of the blessed Prince of the apostles. As from the
head and apex of the episcopacy, that very episcopacy and every
authority which bears the same name comes from here. All waters
flow from here as if from their very source, and they flow
uncorrupted from a pure head through the various regions of the
whole world... We trust first
of all in the strength of God, then in the protection of St.
Peter, whose care holds all present. We shall help you with
advice, resources, and authority, for We are ready to be very near
you, (74) to keep the churches and the brothers safe and sound. As
for the rest, We trust in God under the weight of this burden we
have received; (75) since He is the originator of this burden, He
will also help us. In order that human weakness does not falter
under the greatness of His grace, He who gave the dignity will
also give the strength. Meanwhile in humble entreaty, beseech God
in His merciful goodness to subdue now those who fight against Us,
to strengthen your faith, and to increase devotion and peace. May
He produce in Us, His humble servant, whom He wanted to oversee
the government of His Church and to show the riches of His grace,
enough strength in such a labor. May He make Us useful for your
protection, and may He strive to extend to Our Papacy what was
given to the age, for the profit of devotion. The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you; We bless you and We greet you with
a holy kiss. We lovingly impart to all of you, brother priests,
and to all the faithful of your churches Our apostolic blessing.

Given
in Rome at St. Mary Major on September 13, in the year 1758 in the
first year of Our pontificate.

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